Loyalties
by Menari Lichlore
Summary: SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE READ CARPE CORPUS or at least up to chapter 7 This story takes place shortly after chapter 7. Where do Michael's true loyalties lie?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Claire's grip tightened as Michael drove his vamp-mobile up the darkened street to the Glass House. She looked over at Shane, his face blank; he'd said nothing throughout the entire drive. As much as she hated it, understood his reasons; he'd watched as his father had been turned into a vampire. She wrapped her free arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. He shuddered a little then looked at her before kissing the top of her head. Michael looked in the rear view mirror, then sighed as he pulled up alongside the house, parked and got out of the car; followed by Claire then Shane.

Eve stood on the porch—stake in hand—when she saw the precious cargo that had been concealed within her boyfriend's car had been, "Shane!" She shouted, leaping off the porch towards him. Both Shane and Claire exchanged looks of confusion before Eve had glued herself to him. He sighed and shrugged a little as he returned the hug. After about a minute, Eve peeled herself off and returned to the porch.

"Well c'mon! This calls for a celebration," Claire flinched, celebrating was the last thing on her mind. "Aw…CB, don't be like that. You should be happy that your lover boy is out of the slammer." Eve added as Michael, Claire, and Shane entered the house.

Shane stopped shortly after crossing the threshold, backed up against the wall and slid until he hit the floor. Claire looked back at Shane, then to Eve, "I am happy that Shane's out, but…I just…the reason he's out…" Claire trailed off.

Eve looked from Claire to Shane and then to Michael. "Will someone _please_ tell me what the hell is going on?" She said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

Claire glanced back at Shane and sighed, "Bishop turned Shane's dad into a vampire…right in front of him." she said, tears burning and pricking the corners of her eyes.

Eve took a step back, "What?" Shane looked up sharply, "Weren't you listening? My dad's a filthy bloodsucker!"

"Hey!" Michael interrupted, "Don't snap at her like that, it's not her fault." He said, stepping in front of Eve.

Shane stood up and walked towards Michael so that his face was inches from Michael's, "You're right, it's not Eve's fault." Shane said in a low harsh voice, "It's yours."

Claire grabbed Shane's right arm ad pulled him back towards her, "Shane, it's not his fault. If you have to blame anyone…blame me." She said as a few tears escaped he eyes. Shane opened his mouth to say something—most likely to tell her that she was wrong—Michael interrupted, "No Claire, it wasn't your fault. Shane has every right to blame me. I was there…and I didn't do anything." He confessed.

Eve's breathe caught, "You didn't do anything? You just…watched?" Michael turned to face her, "There was nothing I could have done without revealing that Bishop no longer has control over me." He said, his eyes downcast

Shane's eyes narrowed, "That's strike one. Three strikes and I stake you." He threatened, returning to the wall, sliding to the ground and running his hand through his dirty messy hair. Michael took a step forward, but Eve held him back and led him up the stairs.

Claire walked back over to Shane and took a seat next to him. She tilted her head back to the wall and began to wipe away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. As her hand touched her cheek, she felt his warm hand take hold of hers. He pulled it to his chest and with his free hand, began to wipe her tears away. Once her cheeks had been wiped clean of tears, Shane let his hand linger on her left cheek. Claire turned so that she was facing him, "Hi." She said in a quiet whisper.

He smiled at how beautiful her voice sounded, "Hey," he replied, "What's with all the tears?" Claire lifted her left hand to take hold of his right one, and then turned her face so that she could kiss his palm. "I feel terrible…about everything." Shane to her took her face in both of his hands and kissed her forehead softly. "You have nothing to feel terrible about, Claire. You did nothing wrong."

"But Sha-"He stopped her protest with his warm, dry lips, pressed against her cool wet ones. It took her a moment to comprehend her current situation before she began to move her lips in sync with his. His right hand caressed her left cheek, as it slowly began to move to the nape of her neck. She let her hands become entangled in his messy brown hair, as he body slowly moved to sit on his lap. He pushed himself deeper into the kiss as his hands wandered down her sides before resting at her hips, teasing the hem of her shirt. Oh how she wanted him to just rip of the piece of fabric right then and there. But then she realized that she didn't deserve this…especially after what she had done. Her body tensed, she stopped kissing him and placed her hands on his chest, "NO." she whispered, "I…I don't deserve this, Shane, I don't even think I deserve you. Not after what I did." She said, pushing herself away.

Shane frowned, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Claire, what could you have possibly done to not deserve me?" He asked, his hand running through her hair.

"I…Its all my fault you're dad's a vampire." She confessed. Shane placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back, so he was looking at her face. "How so?"

"Do you remember Theo Goldman?" He nodded, "Well, Theo believed that Bishop wouldn't lee the promises that he had made with the family. So, he was going to take his family and leave Morganville." Claire said, removing herself from Shane's hold and moving to the cool hardwood floor next to him. "What does that have to do with you or my dad being turned?" Shane asked.

"I'm not finished. Theo wanted to take me with them. Then he told me that he had sent to of his children to go and break you out of jail so that you could come with us. I was so happy, even though I knew how dangerous it would be, all that mattered was that we'd be together. But then, that bitch-vamp, Ysandre, came and took me away. When I was brought to Bishop, he knew about the Goldman's plan to try and take us away from Morganville. Then he brought you in and, well…I guess you know the rest." Claire said, her head buried in her knees. Shane sat there, his face blank, she glanced over to him, "Shane…I understand that you're pissed beyond hell at me…"

He held his hand up, stopping her. "Claire. I can't…just...no more, okay. I can't handle everything all at once, I need to think."

Claire's breath caught as she listened to each word he said. Each one felt like a puncture wound to her heart. She'd expected this, though. How could she honestly think that he'd have any other feelings—other than hatred—for her? She was the one responsible for his father's transformation. The familiar burning sensation of tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. No, she would _not_ cry here; not in front of Shane. She stood up swiftly and power-walked to the stairs, not saying anything.

Shane's head snapped up, "Claire, where are you going?" He asked, she shook her head and walked faster. "Damn it Claire! Talk to me!" He shouted, running after her.

She bolted for her bedroom at the end of the hallway. Eve's door opened, revealing that she and Michael had been in the middle of something. All she saw was a crying Claire slamming her door shut and a very confused Shane sitting just outside of it. "Shane?" She asked, pulling on a black and purple silk robe and walking towards him, "What the hell was that all about?"

"Honestly?" Eve nodded, "I have no freakin' idea. We were just sitting on the floor in the entryway, just talking. She told me why she thought it was her fault that my dad's a bloodsucker and that she understood if I was mad at her for it. I told her that I needed to process what she had just said and I couldn't handle her trying to apologize. Then she just snapped."

"Shane, what exactly did you say to her?" Eve asked, having a bad feeling about what Shane might say.

"Um…something along the lines of 'I can't handle everything all at once, I need to think.'…why?" Eve slammed her hand to her forehead, "You idiot!"

"What?" He asked, raising his hands in defeat. Eve let out a deep sigh, "She thinks…she thinks you don't want her anymore…" She trailed off.

"Why would she…" Shane sat there pondering, and then he realized that what he told her could be taken in a totally different direction. "Damn it, me and my big mouth." He turned to pound on Claire's door and beg for forgiveness, but Eve's hand stopped him. "Just give her some time, Shane. Okay?" Shane nodded, reluctantly and went to his room.

Claire lay in her bed, face down in the pillow, and cried until no more tears would come. There was a knock on the door, "Go away." She mumbled into the pillow.

The door opened slowly and Eve's head poked in, "Claire, it's just me" She said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. She walked over to Claire's bed and sat next to her, "Shane's an idiot who doesn't know how to think before he opens that big mouth of his." She explained, smoothing down Claire's hair.

Claire shifted so that she was facing away from Eve, "I knew he wouldn't want me after I told him the truth, but…I didn't think its hurt this much." She confessed, holding back tears.

"Claire…About what Shane said, it he didn't mean it the way you interpreted it. He still wants you,"

"Stop trying to cheer me up, Eve. I know what I heard…he doesn't want me anymore, no matter how much I still love him."

Eve sighed; there was just no getting through to her. "You are both idiots. Shane's and idiot because, well, he's Shane and you're an idiot for thinking that he doesn't want you anymore. So…you know what Claire, you're right. I wasn't there so I didn't hear what he said to you. How could I possibly know what Shane meant, I mean…it's not like I've known him most of my life or anything." Eve said, getting off the bed and heading for the door, "Fact is; I know Shane better than anymore—except Michael—and I've seen the way he looks at you, Claire…there is no force in heaven of hell that would convince Shane that he doesn't want you anymore." She said, letting the door close behind her on her way out. If that little lecture didn't work, she didn't know what would.

Claire lay in bed, thinking about what Eve had just told her. _She did have a point, _she thought to herself, _she's known Shane a lot longer than I have, but…she didn't see the look on his face._ She sighed and rolled off her bed. She grabbed a pair of jeans that were lying over a chair, a t-shirt from the closet and clean undergarments from one of the drawers—she hadn't taken everything with her when she moved out. She made her way down the hall to the bathroom. As she walked passed Shane's bedroom, she couldn't help but to let her eyes linger. She sighed and opened the bathroom door across the hallway. She put her clothes on the countertop, locked the door and turned to stare at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was a mess, as well as her clothes, and her cheeks were red from all the crying she had been doing. She turned on the shower, undressed and stepped into the warm water. She washed away all the dirt and grim from her body and got out. She dressed, gathered her dirty clothes and went back to her room. On her way back, she ran into Michael—who looked like he'd just seen a ghost. "Whoa, what happened to you? Eve get to be too much?" She teased.

He shook his head, "Nah." He held up his phone, "Just got a call from Bishop, he wants to see us ASAP." He said, gesturing to the both of them.

Claire's face went white, "Great…I just hope its nothing bad…" She trailed off, "Just let me drop my stuff off in my room and I'll meet you downstairs, 'Kay?"

Michael nodded and walked passed her down the stairs. Claire sighed and went to her room. She threw her dirty clothes into the basket across the room, grabbed a hoodie—one of Shane's—and walked back out into the hallway. She paused outside of Shane's door, placed her hand on it, then her forehead. Shane was on the other side, in the exact same position. "Shane? I've got to go see Bishop, but when I get back…we need to talk."

He shivered at her last words, but tried to see a brighter side to them. That phrase didn't always mean a breakup was on the horizon…did it? He nodded silently, knowing that she wouldn't know. For all she knew, he was in his bed…sulking. He sighed, pulled out his phone and dialed Michael's cell.

It rang twice before Michael picked up, _"What?"_

"Don't let anything happen to her. Remember, you've got two strikes before I stake you." Shane said, watching as Claire climbed into the car.

Michael sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, _"You know I won't let anything happen to her."_ He replied, getting into the car himself.

"No, I don't know. Just promise me you'll bring her back safe." Shane said, slightly irritated.

_ "I promise to bring her back safe, alright?" _Michael hung up the phone and turned the engine on.

"Who was that?" Claire asked, as Michael pulled out of the drive.

"Just Eve; she worried, that's all." He lied. Claire just nodded and turned her head to look out her window.

The rest of the car ride to Bishop's was a quiet one. Neither Michael nor Claire attempted to make conversation. They were both to scared and nervous for what was to come of this unexpected meeting. He parked the car in the garage and cut the engine; they both got out and headed for the elevator. Michael pressed the button, then the doors shut and the large metal box began to move, ever so slowly, to the top. Claire took a deep intake of breath when the thick metal doors slide opened to reveal a rather pissed off Bishop. He looked up and gestured the two teens towards the chairs near the elevator.

"Good morning, my children. How are we this fine early morning?" He asked, a little too cheerful.

Michael and Claire exchanged wary glances before Michael spoke, "Um…we're wondering why you've called us here."

Bishop smiled, "Well…I wanted to inform the both of you of an attempt escape by two very important subjects, earlier this evening…you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" They both shook their heads in disagreement. Bishop's fist slammed down on the desk, causing it to quiver. "Don't lie to me! Or the consequences shall be irreversible!" He shouted, standing from his chair.

"I swear…we knew nothing of the escape!" Claire confessed.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it. So be it." Bishop threatened, "Michael, have you ever tasted _real_ human blood? As in, drinking it straight from the source?" He asked, in a smoother tone.

Michael looked warily at him and shook his head, "No sir." He replied. Bishop smirked, "Well, today's your lucky day. In a few short minutes, you'll have the opportunity to do just that, as punishment for our criminals."

"Sir, I'm not quite sure I completely understand."

"Young man, you're going to drain two humans, who tried to leave Morganville, of every ounce of blood they have, am I making myself clear?" Michael winced and nodded his head slowly. "Bring them in." He ordered, nodding to two vampires of to the side of him. They left and returned moments later with a middle-aged man and woman—who had been bound and blindfolded. Claire studied the couple intently, and then stifled a gasp and instinctively grabbing Michael's arm. The two humans that Michael had been ordered to kill…were her own parents.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Michael's eyes widened as, he too, recognized Claire's parents standing in front of them, "Mr. Bishop, I'm afraid that I am unable to do as I was told."

"Are you going to disobey a direct order?" Michael thought for a moment; if he disobeyed, then bishop would probably figure out that he no longer had control over Michael and that would not be good…nope, not good at all. Bishop took Michael's silence for an answer. "Very well then, I'll give you two choices. You're first choice is to do as you were first instructed." Bishop grinned, "Or you drain her." He said, pointing at Claire and giving a slight nod.

Another vampire, from behind her; dragged her away from Michael and closer to Bishop, keeping an iron tight grip around her wrists. She struggled, causing serious bruising on her part. Michael took a step back; this was torture and either way he'd be a dead man when he returned to the house.

He stood there for, at least five minutes before Bishop made an irritated sound, "Michael!" he snapped, "What is your choice?"

"I…I can't, sir." Michael replied, looking away from Claire and her parents.

"Really? Well, why don't I just make the choice for you?" Bishop said, walking towards Claire, fangs bared. Claire froze, this was it…she was going to die. Scenes of her and Shane's earlier conversation flashed through her mind, he probably still thought she was mad at him. She felt bishop's cold, hard fangs pierce her skin; she stifled a small gasp even though she wanted to scream out in pain, but her parents were right there and she didn't want them to know that she was dying right in front of them.

She heard Michael shout "Stop!" and the pain was gone almost as immediately as it had come as bishop's fangs withdrew from her neck. The vampire looked up from Claire, towards Michael, and smiled—Claire's blood dripping from his mouth, "I take it you've made your decision?" Michael nodded, "I'm sorry Claire." He said, walking towards her parents.

Claire's mom looked around, "Claire? Honey, are you here? Cla-?" She asked frantically, but was quickly cut off by a bloodcurdling scream as Michael sunk his fangs into her throat.

Claire watched in horror, as Michael began draining her mom. She felt her heart stop, _this isn't happening. It's just a really, really terrifying nightmare._ She blinked her to make sure that what she was seeing was real, hoping it was just a nightmare. She began to struggle against the vampire's hold, "No, you can't do this! Michael, please…stop!" She screamed as tears flooded down her face and blood oozed down her neck.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out Claire's voice as he dropped the drained corpse to the ground and picked up her father. As the blood ran down his throat, Michael squeezed out a single tear. This moment, he knew, would scar him for the rest of his existence.

Once finished, Claire collapsed to her knees, _he did it…he really did it_, she thought as she wiped away a few remaining tears. Bishop smirked, "Thank you, my boy. Now, take the girl and get out." He said in a threatening voice.

Michael walked over to Claire and offered his hand; she ignored it and got up herself. She fixed her eyes on the elevator door and began walking toward it. Michael followed her, but not after shooting Bishop a menacing glare. Once in the elevator, Claire retreated to the back corner, her arms crossed in front of her. Michael offered a comforting hand, "Don't touch me." Claire shot at him, her voice filled with malice. He pulled his hand back and watched as the doors opened, revealing the damp, dark garage where they had parked.

Claire shoved passed him and made her way to the car. She opened the back door, on the passenger's side, and climbed in, slamming the door behind her. Michael climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, pulled out of the garage and drove back to the House.

There was an eerie silence during the car ride home; Claire rested her forehead on the cool glass as she watched the town speed by. She watched as Michael pulled up the House and parked right in front—the sun hadn't risen yet, so Michael saw no need to park in the garage—he cut the engine, got out of the car and walked to the front door. He turned to look back at her and then entered the house.

Claire let her body fall onto the back seat and let all the tears come at once. She buried her face in her arms.

Michael walked into the house with a somber look upon his face. Eve heard the door shut from upstairs and bounded down them to greet Michael and Claire. Eve stopped short at the bottom of the stairs, "Michael, what's wrong?" She asked, walking over to him.

Shane walked out of the kitchen, hoping to see Claire, but all he saw was a sullen-looking Michael and a worried Eve. Michael looked up at him and then quickly looked away, "She needs you, Shane." He said, his eyes downcast.

"Where is she?" Shane asked, looking around.

Michael pointed towards the door, "She's still in the car."

Shane put the white dishtowel, which he had been using, in his back pocket and headed out the door. He saw the big, black vamp-mobile parked right in front of the house. He walked over to it and opened the back passenger door. There she was, lying on the backseat with her face buried in her arms.

Claire heard the door open; she turned her head to see who it was. Shane stood in the doorway, his brown hair a mess, looking down at her. "Claire?" He asked, worry and concern written on his face, "Michael said you needed me…what's wro-" Claire flung herself at him before he could finish his sentence, wrapping her arms around his neck, "They're gone, Shane…" She sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him, "What're you talking about, Claire?" He asked, burying his head in her hair. He turned to kiss the nape of her neck and tasted something warm and salty on his lips. He pulled back and swept her hair from her neck to see two puncture wounds and fresh blood. He quickly pulled the dishtowel from his back pocket and placed it on her wound, applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding. "Claire, who bit you?" He asked, trying to remain calm so he wouldn't scare her.

"Bishop." She murmured into his shirt.

That was all it took to send him over the edge. He helped her out of the car and, pulling alongside him, walked back into the house. Once inside, he saw Michael sitting on the couch with Eve beside him and her comforting hand on his back. He slammed the door as they stepped into the house. Both Eve and Michael's head popped up to see what the commotion was. Shane let go of Claire and marched over to Michael and slugged him across the face.

Eve shot up, "Shane! What the hell?" She shouted.

"_That_ was for breaking your promise." He said, grabbing Michael's collar. "You promised me that you'd keep her safe, you bastard!" He shouted in his face.

Claire looked over at him and recalled Michael's phone conversation before they had left. It hadn't been Eve who called because she was worried…it was Shane.

Eve glanced over in Claire's direction, "Shane, look," she said, pointing at Claire, "she's fine."

Shane released his hold on Michael's collar. "No…Bishop bit her." He stated in a low voice.

Eve, not believing him, walked over to where Claire stood and examined the right side of her neck—where most vamps bit—not noticing the now red dishtowel on the other side. "There's no bite mark, Shane." She said.

"Other side."

Eve shook her head, but checked the other side of Claire's neck. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen and returning with the first aid kit. She removed the bloody towel from Claire's neck and tossed it aside. She then began to clean out the wound when she noticed that there were no more Band-Aids in the kit. So, she settled for gauze and medical adhesive tape. Once Eve had finished tending to Claire's wound, she brought the dirty towel into the kitchen and returned to stand next to Michael.

Claire touched her neck and flinched at the memory of Bishop sinking his teeth into her flesh. She shuddered slightly before retreating to the back wall. She slid down into a sitting position, pulling her knees up to her chest, and rested her head on them.

Shane glared at Michael, "What happened?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Michael finally met Shane fierce glare, "You got your stake sharpened?"

"Michael, that's _not_ funny." Eve said.

Michael shook his head, "Neither is the news I'm about to tell you." He glanced over in Claire direction, "Claire's parents are dead. Bishop had them executed while we were there."

Both Shane and Eve took a step back. Shane turned to Claire and rushed to her side. Once his arms were around her once more, the tears began to flow down her face. She snuggled closer to him, her arms wrapped tightly around him, never wanting to let go.

"How could you let this happen, Michael?" Eve asked.

"Bishop gave me the choice of having her parent killed or Claire herself. When I hesitated, he bit her. I spoke out and then he realized that I didn't want to Claire to die, so he had her parents executed." He explained.

"Why didn't you sop her from watching?" Shane asked, Claire still in his arms.

Michael hesitated, "Because…

"…Because he was the one who killed them." Claire said in a quiet voice.

Shane froze; he pulled away and held her at arms length, "Claire…what did you just say?" He asked in disbelief.

"Bishop had Michael kill my parents." She sobbed.

Shane turned his head, "Michael Glass!" Shane shouted. Eve could feel tears pricking at the corners of her black lined eyes, "Michael…please tell me that this is just some sick mind game that Bishop is playing."

Michael shook his head, "No." Eve took several steps back.

"You fucking bastard!" Shane shouted as he rushed at Michael, stake in hand. Shane pushed Michael to the ground and raised the stake above his head. Claire rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Shane's back, "No…no more killing." She pleaded, her arms tightening.

Shane paused and let the wooden stake fall the ground. He spun around and took Claire back into his arms. "Ok…no more. I promise." He said, kissing the top of her head. He sat there, in the middle of the living room floor, holding her until unconsciousness overtook her. He scooped her up in his arms and headed for the stairs. Before going up them, he turned to Michael, "I won't kill you…for her sake, but you've just lost a friend, Michael." He said, turning and carrying Claire up the stairs to her bedroom.

Once up the stairs, Shane carried Claire to her bedroom. He opened her door, walked over to her bed and set her down. He unfolded the blanket at the foot of the bed and laid it over her. He kissed her forehead and turned to leave when he felt a tug on the hem of his shirt. He turned to see Claire's outstretched hand form beneath the blanket. "Don't go." She whispered.

He smiled slightly before kneeling at her bedside, he ran his fingers through her long dark hair, "Okay, I'll stay. If that's what you want." He said, climbing into the bed with her. She nodded and then more tears filled her eyes. "Claire, what's wrong?" He asked, smoothing down her hair and running his hand across her cheek.

She looked up at him, "I'm just realizing that you're all I've got left."

He shook his head, "No I'm not. Claire, you've got people in this goddamn town who care about you. Of course, none of them care about you more than I do…okay, maybe Eve, but she's the only one." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

She gave a little smile, "I love you."

He smirked, "I love you too." He said, kissing her sweetly on the lips.

Michael sat on the ground against the couch for a few minutes after Shane left before standing up. He turned to see Eve sitting on the far end of the couch. He started to walk towards her, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"If this wasn't you're house, Michael Glass, I'd throw you out right now." She said, not meeting his eyes. "I can't believe you did that! What the hell was going through your head?"

"Eve, what was I supposed to do? If I had tried to defy him, he would've figured out that I was no longer under his control. If that had happened, then he may have suspected that Ameile was plotting something against him."

Eve shot him a cold stare, "You've got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes, "Are you seriously pulling that crap on me. Who gives a damn about Ameile and her goddamned vampire army? This is _Claire_ we're talking about." She said, her voice slowly rising. "Claire is your friend, isn't she?" He nodded. "That's what I thought. I would think that you would have enough sense in that thick head of yours to know that friends come before vamps—no offence. Michael…" she trailed off, "you really need to figure out where your loyalties lie." She said, as she turned for the stairs.

Michael watched her walk up the stairs and he heard her close her bedroom door. He sank back down into the couch and leaned his head back. Eve was right, he needed to pick a side.

His friends…or Ameile.


End file.
